Better Times
by LittleSickLoveStory
Summary: (Sequel to Ones Last Stand!) The remainder of existence was supposed to thrive with the battle ending. For most it did. Most moved on. Some took their time, but an unlucky few couldn't shake it all from their mind. The most well known being has returned, and boy were they displeased by what they came back to.
1. Chapter 1

_Headache. Pain. Numb._  
That was all they could think.  
_Where am I? What happened?_  
They looked around with their currently silver eyes, the neatly positioned jet black hair falling around them as the small being tried to sit up- BONK.

Now, their head certainly didn't feel better. They pressed their hands up, quickly realizing they were in a glass case. Many preserved, varieties of flowers lay around their form, from reds to blues to white and yellow, a beautiful contrast to the dark outfit they wore.

_Why can't I get out of this? _

Confused, usually strength wasn't an issue. They remained still, looking around the room through the casket. Sighing in defeat, they drank in the wonderful surroundings. A creme and white building, walls laced with the intricate designs the White City was known for. The ceilings were so tall, she knew it was so the archangels could comfortably fit. _**Wait**__\- why would they need to be in here? All the other buildings are smaller, only the ones they consistently visit are as big as this. Why am __**I**_ _in here? I don't remember anything._

An average angel was suddenly floating near the entrance, with their back turned. The person attempted to hollar out to them. "Hey!" Instantly coughing, their throat felt like sandpaper. They proceeded to bang in the casket as hard as possible, their pale face going red the more they pounded.

The angel turned to face the inside, now obviously looking more of a guard than an average citizen. Their face shifted quickly to shock, saying something the trapped being couldn't understand.

They left.

Now infuriated, the small being continued to pound and kick at the glass, sure that it would eventually break. They grew angry, a low rumble starting to form in their chest. Silver eyes now became red glowing orbs, and despite their body screaming at them to stop they continued to call out for someone to get them out.

Their chest showed rigid, short breaths. The punching and kicking weakened, now they just pressed their arms against the walls of the container as much as possible. _This is bad. This feels wrong. I don't understand. This is too small._

Their thoughts jumbled together, calling for more panic. _Ok ok. Why am I feeling this way? This isn't normal. This doesn't bother me. _

Deep breaths were taken as they calmed their mind. The crimson eyes turned to solid soot. Now able to focus, they placed a single palm in front of their face on the glass. Dim, black bolts of electricity seemed to shoot up their arm into the glass- just enough damage to shatter it everywhere.

They took long, steep breaths of relief. Slowly they sat up, swinging their legs over the edge of the stand the casket once laid on. Then they noticed what they were wearing.

A black, knee length swing dress.

Something Sam would **never** wear.


	2. Chapter 2

"Who the hell was in charge of this, and why?" The demon spoke aloud, now standing and looking at her attire as best she could. It was a simple, plain black dress, black lace tights and a pair of coal colored simple heels. She huffed, looking around once more. Her tree, looking dead and so unloved took an outstretched corner in the building, as if it was built around it. She was coughing once again as she slowly made her way out of the building. Instantly the small demon had to shield her eyes with her arm, but continued to walk.

The 5 inch tall heel of the shoes made her stumble slightly until she finally figured out how to wear them as she began her journey out of the building. She quickly noticed the stares she was getting, a few angels running off if she got within their wingspans.

Down the long, long road she knew would lead to some answers. Her step was fast and furious, goal on her mind.

Now the demon stood at the door, the two guards that we're usually beside it were gone. Something was up, it was never unguarded, this was weird.

The demon weakly opened one if the doors herself, slipping only halfway inside the skylit room before realizing what was going on.

The room was set up for a meeting. All of the archangels were in their respective seats, plus six extra spots, all circling the room around one of the extra chairs. The demon froze in place, she knew they were chatting up until she came in, all of their shining eyes now staring holes in her direction.

"Welcome back, Samantha." A familiar voice called out, the demon looked at the source to see Malthael grinning and gesturing to the chair in the center of the room. It took her only a brief second to remember the angelic friend who helped her along in her time with the angels.

The demon looked around, seeing smiles all around, some genuine and others forced and full of hate. She stepped in, the door loudly shutting behind her as she made her way to the seat. Once seated, she stared up at the angels, opening her mouth to speak only to leave her lips barely parted, not sure what to say.

Silence.

She wanted to greet them, but trying to do so only made her begin to cough more, causing the archangel Michael to send a guard off to get her something to drink. "Speak." He said after she downed the large beverage.

"Excuse me? I'm not a dog. Why do some of you look so happy to see me and the rest want to kill me more than before? What's happened?"

"I apologise. Things around here have been much more.. Chaotic, since the End Times." Michael shifted in his place, now leaning towards her.

Sam's eyes widened greatly, her mouth now hanging open. "End Times? Wait- that happened?" The archangels eyes simultaneously grew, followed by the sounds of shifted movement and quiet chatting to each other. "Why was I in a glass box? And how did my tree get there too? That's the second time that damn thing randomly moved. Where-" the demon gasped, suddenly standing and facing the entrance previously behind her.

The door opened harshly by familiar large, purple ghosted hands. The demons heart swelled as she instantly locked eyes with each of the people now in front of her.

Fury.

War.

Strife.

"Death." She mumbled, her lips slowly curling into a smile on their own.

The horseman all looked dumbfounded, having been told she likely wouldn't wake again. Strife stayed true to keeping his mask at bay, proudly sporting a smile for the demon. Fury crossed her arms over her chest and smirked, nudging War who simply nodded in the demons direction. The pale rider, Death, his eyes still an oh so beautiful amber she happily remembered, were as wide as frisbees. His posture suddenly slouched, clearly overwhelmed with emotions.

The silence in the air was suffocating. Sam felt like she was having that exact problem, as she put both of her hands over her mouth, her eyes turning to a very bright purple. "Something told me I'd never see you guys again." She let out a soft giggle to keep herself from sobbing out loud, as the forming tears were obvious enough. "But here you are." Then she noticed someone behind her past lover. "Is that Chaos?"

Fury let out an uneasy cough. The room got noticeably heavier. "No, the girls have left to be on their own."

The figure behind Death came out. She was familiar, blue skin and a gorgeous body. She hugged Death's arm, glaring at Sam. It was clearly another demon, Sam's breath hitched. "Klay?"

The horsemen and angels stiffened all at once, some biting their tongues and others hoping for hell.

"Yes Sam?" The blue demon spoke. She cocked her head to the side and grinned.

Sam straightened her posture, her eyes cleared up as they became a dull red. She looked to Death, who was now looking away from her.

"You two know of each other?" War sounded genuinely surprised, going as far as looking his bright snowy eyes at both of the present demons.

"Yeah." The pale demons arms dropped to her sides, as she said her response as loudly as she could for the moment; which wasn't much.

The demon slowly forced herself back into the chair she was previously in. Her heart was sore. Her mind was racing.

_I'm not misunderstanding the situation_, the tired demon thought. _He wouldn't let someone hang on him like that. The others knew how this was going to make me feel and showed clear distress, the smell of recent mating on them both is suffocating. Those two really are together. _

Thousands of thoughts were flying around in her head. Nobody moved for some time, until finally Fury pushed for her brothers to follow her to their row of seats. Klay began to follow until Imperius spoke up. "Perhaps it would be better for this other woman to wait outside. This is a closed meeting."

Sam could hear Death and the other demon speaking to one another quietly, the male sounding harsher than usual. They eventually all seated, and Sam could see an open seat beside her past lover. The demon let out a quiet sniffle, before coughing again and leaning back into the chair, back to her carefree posture. "Am I going to get answers to any of my questions?"

Metatron spoke, "Ask away, we will do our best."

"I don't know what happened. I didn't know the end times even happened."

The horsemen's eyes all widened, Fury leaned in towards the demon. "What is your last memory?"

"I was talking to Samae-" the demons voice quieted down to the end of the sentence, and she slowly looked at the ground.

"C'mon kiddo, you can talk to us. We owe you anyway." Strife words earned a slight jab of Wars elbow.

"Owe me? Why's that? You guys are the ones who welcomed me into your family." She glared daggers to Death at the word family, before softening her look and peering at the other horsemen.

"Unimportant right now. Who were you talking to that you last remember?" Malthael seemed urgent for this information, as he'd already figured out who she meant.

"Samael." The black haired woman muttered, looking down at her thighs and trying to cover more skin with the dress.

"What was the topic for this conversation?" Michael relaxed himself, leaning into his seat.

"About The End Times. The battle. Chaos and Corruption. Th-"

"You let him torture them. Do you know the pain they suffered in his care? You may have more will and can handle such stress, but they cannot." War stood, speaking angrily and punching the arm of his seat. "They were practically children, and you are the reason they are broken for their eternal lives."

"As if it's my fault they were brought into this in the first place? They're one of you, and we were all involved. They got themselves caught. And they'd be dead if I never got involved." Sam's words were quiet, as she glanced occasionally at the horsemen. "I feel horrible about what they went through, but I did my best to keep them okay."

"I believe you." the heads in the room turned to see the spiky haired rider standing, looking around the room. "Did everyone forget she was playing both sides? It's been awhile but c'mon. She doesn't even really wanna hurt anyone even if they deserve it half the time." the riders eyes landed locked with the present demons. He shrugged, sitting and crossing his arms along with kicking up his feet to rest on the small table in front of the riders chairs. "I believe you did what you had to do. Casualties are expected, but I do believe you did your best to minimize them."

Sam chuckled, smiling at Strife. "Did your brain expand in my absence?"

"He hasn't shut up about you since you've left." Death spoke. His breath hitched when his response from the demon was a red eyed glare and a growl.

"You do not get to speak to me. You don't even have my permission to look at me." she said, snarling at the end of her comment. Her posture left from its threatening pose as soon as the sentence has ended, her eyes going normal and looking back to the angels. "So what else? What actually happened? I really don't remember any of it."

"Well," Malthael spoke only to be silenced by Imperious.

"I think it is best if you hear from a different source and come back to others with questions afterwards. There are many books from many who witness the battle. Any time before that with the horsemen you should be in private, speaking with them. For now we will speak of anything but the battle. Is this alright?"

"Okay, I suppose. You guys are typically busy so I don't mean to waste time." The demon shrugged and looked around the room, rolling her shoulders. "Though I guess mine was wasted for a few years."

"More than a few, little one." her head turned to look at Fury. "It's been a millenia."

Sam's eyes widened. She stared with her mouth parted, jaw dropping after she finally understood what was said. "Wait. Hold on, a MILLENIA? What the hell? Who put me the fuck to sleep for so long? Why the hell was that necessary?"

"We thought you died." War spoke this time, his voice lower than usual. "You allowed no help, Samael wounded you. Your tree finally died and you appeared to have left as well."

Sam stared for a moment before slumping into her seat, staring at the ground. "Dead?" She jolted slightly. Her eyes suddenly widened, her chest begun to heave steady at first but growing stronger. She began to hyperventilate, coughing occasionally as she gripped her head.

"Sam?!" Strife stood quickly along with the other horsemen, he leaned over the table towards her. "Whats going on?"

"I need some air." the demon stood, running as fast as her shoes allowed her outside, practically bursting the doors open. The riders and half the angels followed suit, just in time to catch her falling over to the side and coughing up mass amounts of thick black tar. It eventually stopped, slowly standing up. She gripped her own throat, intentionally holding her breath but her chest still trying to heave. Briefly after she was calmed again, tears forming in her eyes. "If I was dead for so long how the hell am I back? I shouldn't be here, I should have just lay to rot!"

Malthael cleared his throat, "That is what we would like to understand. We keep guards around your sanctuary. Nothing should have happened that result in your awakening, had we known it even to be possible we would have tried much sooner."

She huffed, crossing her arms and turning to face away from them. She walked to the edge of the flying island, looking down into the bright abyss. "This thing is still infinite, isn't it?"

"We assume so, yes." Imperious got closer, along with Malthael.

The demon uncrossed her arms. "Whos idea was it to even do that?" She glanced behind her. "Well, I guess it makes sense since majority of everyone of us can fly." turning back to face the edge, she leaned slightly over. Everyone's breath hitched in their throat, moving closer again steadily.

"Do not do anything unreasonable, Sa-" the pale rider spoke, just in time to watch her haul herself over the side. "NO-!"

The present audience all ran to the edge, hollering out their own terms of distress. They looked over the side in disbelief, in silence. Not a minute later, Sam appear rocketing up behind them, her massive shadowy black wings at large, yelling out in joy. "Wooooh! Wow, I forgot how good this feels! I really needed that!" They all turned, some letting out the breath they didn't know they held with others sighing of relief.

She landed with grace, stretching out her wings and her arms above her head. "Guess I'm not so afraid of heights anymore." Her smile was wide and her posture was confident. The demon thought for a moment, "What do I do now? Where do I even go? It's not like I have a home after this time. I kinda just wanna be alone. This is a lot."

"You always have a home with us, Sam." Fury spoke. She smiled, gesturing to her brothers. "As long as you do not frighten us like that again, we all live seperate now, although close to one another."

Sam drifted her eyes to everyone except Death, who was staring at the demon. After a moment her voice piped up, as she nested her wings to her back as they faded. "You welcoming anyone, Strife?"

The rider raised a brow, followed shortly by a smirk. "I'm the chosen one now?" he gave her a light nod, dismissive of the surprised looks given to him by his siblings. "Of course. I can figure somethin' out for ya'."

She let out a sigh of relief, looking back to the angels. "I think I'm gonna sort myself out a bit. And of course study up on, uh, myself I guess?" she stood, walking halfway in Strifes direction as he stepped to the start of the bridge leading away from the council building.

"I'll see you guys around. Thank you all for helping me start to figure out what's going on." The demon gave a dismissive half wave as she walked down the path with the rider, not turning nor looking back. Her heels clicked loudly, her dress having a nice sway along with the swing of her hips. Her and the rider could both feel the eyes on them as they walked, they didn't care, and Strife sure was happy.


	3. Chapter 3

(PS, I just launched a story with a crapton of oneshots you should go check out! "Many Doors" )

The pair kept walking, on and on. After some time, Strife noticed the demons perk in her step faded. "Not excited to be movin' in with lil' old me, eh?"

Sam glanced at the rider, seeming to be pulled from a daze. "Hm? Oh, no, actually I am kinda excited to spend some time with you. I think you understand me a lot. Maybe even more than... him." Her voice trailed off and she crossed her arms in front of her as she walked.

He could feel the air growing uneasy as he searched for a topic change. "Well," he chimed "my place only has one room. Do you want the bed or the couch?"

"Couch."

"You sure 'bout that? I don't mind." He questioned her with an eyebrow raised, nudging her with his elbow.

"Yeah, I don't expect you to make changes like that for me when I just sorta popped back into existence I guess." Sam chuckled softly, sighing in relief.

"Nah, don't worry. I could use the spice up in my life." Sam glanced at him to see him smiling, but staring ahead as they walked.

The two now trotted together in silence, many angels giving stares at the sight of Sam. She didn't care, and she knew Strife loved the attention so it worked out. The houses they passed looked elegant and beautiful, each having their own style of chiseled detailing. The front yards all in perfect condition, sporting small gardens and fountains.

Until they got to a row of 4 very different houses at the end of a road. Each one painted a different color, one red, purple, green and grey, each building having a black roof. The yards seemed well kept but no personal touches to the grass.

"I wonder who owns these houses." The demons comment earned a laugh from Strife, as they walked up to the green home at the far right side. Beside his was purple, presumably Furys, then red, possibly War, and last was grey, leaving Death.

"You can figure out who owns which house." The rider grinned at her as he popped open the door for her, dramatically gesturing her to enter first as he held the door.

She let out a giggle, walking in and looking around. She wondered up to the coffee table in the center of the room, the walls were mostly bare save for one or two photos of his family. The large tv on one side of the room, the black love seat on the other. She noted the stairs, and the hallway to what is assumed to be an unused kitchen and possibly a restroom.

"I'm gonna make a run and grab something for you, would you like anything while I'm out?" He remained outside, poking his head in.

"No, I'm alright. Do you mind if I watch tv while you're out?"

"Of course, go ahead. This is your home too now, remember that." The rider closed the door, as Sam turned to the couch and plopped right down.

Sam was still channel surfing, unable to find anything she thought of decently entertaining in the slightest when the front door opened again. "Tv sucks ass now. Humans had such good taste in entertainment."

Strife chuckled, carrying a large box and closing the door behind him with his foot. He walked over and sat beside the demon as she moved over to give him more room, setting the box on the table in front of them.

"What's all that?"

"This," he pulled off the lid to the box, "is your clothes, shoes, a whole bunch of cards from people I believe, and anything else we recovered that was specifically yours. We thought it best to keep your things together in case you came back to us."

She stood, leaning over the large box and pulling out item after item. Couple hoddies, one torn in the stomach. Few pairs of jeans. Shoes, piles of cards, a small ball. "Danm, I forgot about this thing." She smiled, throwing it lightly at the wall expecting it to bounce back, only for it to somehow have hit the wall hard enough to break a hole in the drywall. The demons gasped, turning to Strife and frantically apologizing. "I'm so sorry! I didn't even throw it hard! Are your walls made of paper?!"

The rider bellowed a loud laugh, waving dismissively at her. "No, no you're fine, maybe ya' forgot how to control your strength, hm?"

"I hope not, I'm still sorry." She plopped back on the couch, gently pushing the box away.

There was a moment of silence broken by the rider. "You gonna change? I can't imagine you actually liking that dress, though I ain't complainin'." He leaned back, smirking and leaning the back of his head into his hands.

Sam shrugged, leaning back aswell. "I don't know. I don't feel like moving. Or existing, but here I am."

His smirk faded, he put one of his hands in his lap and placed the other on her wrist as he turned to face her. "I know we ain't as close as we were when we were younger, but I'm here to listen to ya' should you need it. Alright?"

The demon smiled, nodding to him. "Yeah, I figured. I appreciate it a lot. Thank you, Strife."

"I ever tell you I like it when you say my name?" He gave her a smirk, raising a brow.

She chuckled, snatching away her wrist and standing. "Looks like I gotta' come up with an unappetizing nickname for you then." She picked up the cleaner looking hoodie, tanktop, and jeans.

"You saying my name itself is appetizing?" He laughed "bathrooms down the hall by the stairs."

She walked off, holding back a laugh. She stripped in the bathroom, looking in the mirror. She froze. Her stomach had a massive scar, from her naval to just below her ribcage. It was several shades darker than her skin, but smooth and not lumpy as most scars are. She looked at her neck, remembering the mark she once had thanks to Death. It was gone. The only mark she bare on her stomach, and she didn't even know where it came from.

She changed into the jeans and top, carrying the dress and hoodie over her forearm. The demon stepped back into the hallway, immediately making eye contact with the rider on the couch. She set the clothes in the box, then moved the box to the floor. Strife was still leaned back, sitting comfortably while Sam leaned on the arm of the couch opposite of him. They sat in silence as they watched some kind of documentary of The Creator.

Sam didn't know too much about him, but she enjoyed learning. It didn't seem like an appropriate topic to question, or go out of her way to know about, so she normally kept distance.

"Did you want to go see the records for the battle? And maybe catch up on what's happened since?" He spoke, turning his head and giving Sam a serious look.

"I don't know. I think I need to just process what I already know for a minute, if that's okay?" She kept her eyes glued to the tv.

"Yeah. Sure, I understand. I'm here to answer any questions you might have too, y'know." He smiled at her, but she wasn't moving. After letting out a sigh, he stood and stretched. "I think I'm gonna retire for tonight. I'll see you tomorrow, yeah?"

"Yeah, I can't see myself leaving tomorrow though, not alone at least." The demon shrunk further into the couch, hugging herself and pulling her legs up onto the couch against her.

"I'm free, I'll go with you if you need it." He reached over to give her a pat on the shoulder only for her to flinch, the rider was shocked, taking a moment to watch her and she hugged herself tighter. He made his way upstairs, glancing back at her before making his ascend. The room was dark, the white light of the television brightening up just enough to see the outlines of the furniture and her features.


	4. Chapter 4

(A "guest" keeps saying to get Sam and Death back together, I just want you to aware IF that happens, and it might not, it wont be ANYTIME soon in the story. I feel wrong stringing you on, so I had to say something lol.)

Strife made his way downstairs, wearing only a pair of boxers, hair disheveled, and clearly tired eyes. He couldn't get an ounce of sleep. And after seeing Sam in the exact same spot as he left her, he rightfully assumed she hadn't either. "Mornin' brighteyes, you okay?"

She turned to him, nodding with a smile, only for the smile to immediately fade and her cheeks flush, looking back to the tv. "I know it's your home but can I ask that you cover up a little more?"

"Your place too now, sorry, shoulda came out a little more respectful." He scratched the back of his neck, running back upstairs. Once he returned, he wore a plain blacl tshirt and some grey shorts. "Better?" He asked, gesturing up and down himself.

"Hm. Black looks really good on you." She said with a smile.

"I'll take that as a hell yeah then!" The rider clapped his hands, rubbing them together and walking down the hallway.

"You seem a lot more cheery than I remember, Strife." She stood, making her way in the direction he went.

"Well, we didn't spend actual time together or anything when you came back to our lives." He was rummaging through cabinets, grabbing things, looking at them and putting them back.

"Yeah, I guess that's all it was." Her voice was quiet and timid, causing Strife to stop what he was doing and glance at her.

"Hey, it's cool. You had your mind elsewhere. A lot was goin' on, I'm just glad you're ok." He said as he went back to pulling out random items and setting them on the counter. "You eat, right? How's pasta sound? I just have this stuff for when I'm bored and my tastebuds could use a lil' fun."

"I could eat, yeah." She watched the rider as he prepped and cooked, smiling as he began whistling a tune. It was familiar to her, but she didn't know where. She started whistling along, messing up slightly but getting the melody right just enough for Strife to look at her and smile, continuing to whistle. It kept up for a minute, ending with laughter from the rider.

"Can't believe ya' remember that."

"I don't. I mean, obviously I know it, but I'm not sure of the context." She shrugged, leaning on the wall.

"I used to do it to piss you off. We would spar, and I'd pretend it was such a breeze I'd whistle a song along with it. Man, you always packed a danm punch." He rolled his shoulders, cutting up as some of the preparations.

"Huh, maybe I only know it because of how mad I got?"

"I wouldn't be surprised."

They sat at the couch, eating the delicious spaghetti they made together. They were silent for most of the meal, broken by Sam. "I got a question."

"Shoot!"

"After I was gone, when you guys started up your lives again. What happened? How were you all getting along and everything?" She sat her plate down, putting her hands in her lap as she waited for an answer.

"We were okay. Probably gettin' along more than we ever had, but we all had our own bag of stress." He shrugged, finishing his plate and setting it down. "Don't know about them, but I needed some separation. I suggested we all have more of our own private space and they all just sorta' agreed. We act as a discipline force now, we each got our own department I guess you could say."

"The city is mostly angels though, I thought?"

"When the world's got destroyed, not all of that negative energy was destroyed too. So some stayed, and angels are almost more inclined to uh, bring about negativity? We're on a no kill basis, just detain and stuff like that. Aim them away." He propped his right leg up on his knee, leaning to his left towards her.

"Oh, that's cool. I'm glad you all still have some kind of authority."

He shrugged, looking back to the tv. "I'm glad you're back."

The demon looked back to the tv aswell, an obvious smile glued to her face. "Glad to be back."

The two enjoyed eachothere company, spending the day watching the television and mindlessly chatting. Sam learned that Klay had shown up in Deaths life only weeks after her passing, and as far as Strife was aware she was still around only because she had convinced a few angels she was trustworthy, just as Sam had. Death excludes himself from everyone more than he had before, and Strife, War and Fury had become much closer.

"I should probably warn you, since you said you need time to do research, you're a celebrity around here now, more than before. Some angels have distaste for ya' because ya' didn't let nobody help when when it was needed. It's just an angel honor type'a thing though, they'll get over it."

She nodded in response, taking a deep breath followed by a sigh. "I know I don't really know what happened yet, but I know enough to apologize. So I'm sorry, Strife. I might have actually been around all this time if I wasn't stubborn."

The rider shifted uncomfortably, sitting up and leaning forward towards the tv. "Can't tell ya' how I know, but I know that your passin' was inevitable." He shook his head. "Was gonna happen regardless and none of us coulda' stopped it."

"I figured. I have a vague memory of thinking about it when I saw my tree dying." The demon looked over at the rider for a moment before reaching over to press her hand on his back. "Thank you for helping me through all this, by the way."

"No problem'o, Sam'o!" He suddenly stood, stretching once again. "Surprised I ain't been called in yet, I wonder if everyone's on their best behavior because ya' came back?"

"That's nice of them, I guess. Are you going to bed?" She looked up at him from her seat.

"Yeah, think it's time to hit the hay. Couldn't get a lick of sleep last night, maybe I'll have some luck this time." He began to walk to the stairs.

"I hope you get some rest then!" The demon chimed, giving him a smile as he glanced back at her before carrying on upstairs.

Hours passed, Sam couldn't sleep. Every time she closed her eyes she saw flashes of blood, her sword soaked in it, a once grey field now nearly entirely red. Over and over. The demon thought she began to doze off, when she felt a sharp pain in her abdomen. She jolted awake, sitting up for some time, completely still, unable to process what was wrong with her.

Eventually the demon was shaken with anxiety, her heart racing and her eyes tearing up. Slowly getting off the couch, she made her way upstairs and to the room at the far end of the house, hoping it was Strifes.

She gave the door a gentle knock, hearing rustling almost immediately. She stood there hugging herself as she heard what was clearly his footsteps approach the door, looking up at him when he propped it open enough for her to see his face. "You okay, Sam?"

"Yeah, no, I uh. I don't know, I can't sleep, I keep seeing things and I don't know what it is, and my hearts racing, and I-" she was visibly shaking now the more she talked, her words beginning to come out frantic.

"Hey, if ya' want to you can come lay down with me." The rider cut off her rambles, opening the door more and gesturing into his room. The demon slowly made her way to the bed, taking deep breaths. The rider closed the door behind her, walking up to her and placing a hand on her shoulder. "Pick a side, you're fine."

She crawled into the bed, pulling his sheet over her as she got onto the far side. He followed suit, laying on his back to look at her as she kept her back towards him. "Thank you, I'm sorry to wake you for this." She said.

"Nah, I couldn't sleep anyway. Don't worry 'bout me." He rolled over so they were bacm to back. "Maybe all I needed was company too."

Sam lay there thinking, but all she could think of was the time she had lost, and she knew it was her fault. She knew what her plan was for the battle, but she didnt know if it played out how she intended. The demon eventually rolled over, curling herself against the back of the rider. He was just in boxers once again, and his skin was comfortably warm. She found herself gently running a finger around all of his defined muscles, letting out a low quiet purr, and she swore she could hear him doing the same.

The rider eventually let out soft snores, the demon smiling that he had finally been able to pass out. She placed her head on his pillow, keeping herself curled against his back and eventually fell asleep.

Strife had a dream for the first time in a long long time, and Sam felt more than comfortable at his side.


End file.
